Advanced detection tools in food fraud: A systematic review for holistic and rational detection method based on research and patents.

Modern food chain supply management necessitates the dire need for mitigating food fraud and adulterations. This holistic review addresses different advanced detection technologies coupled with chemometrics to identify various types of adulterated foods. The data on research, patent and systematic review analyses (2018-2023) revealed both destructive and non-destructive methods to demarcate a rational approach for food fraud detection in various countries. These intricate hygiene standards and AI-based technology are also summarized for further prospective research. Chemometrics or AI-based techniques for extensive food fraud detection are demanded. A systematic assessment reveals that various methods to detect food fraud involving multiple substances need to be simple, expeditious, precise, cost-effective, eco-friendly and non-intrusive. The scrutiny resulted in 39 relevant experimental data sets answering key questions. However, additional research is necessitated for an affirmative conclusion in food fraud detection system with modern AI and machine learning approaches.

Studies on the phytochemical constituents of Smilax elegantissima Gagnep.

Nine compounds were isolated and elucidated from this species, among which, two new compounds (1, 2) and seven known compounds (3-9). Their structures were determined by means of extensively spectroscopic analysis including HR-ESI-MS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HSQC and HMBC. The bioactivities evaluation was referred to the cytotoxic assay on four human tumor cell lines of the ethanol extract, different fractions and 6 compounds. The results demonstrated that the dichloromethane fraction showed the strongest cytotoxicity, followed by the ethyl acetate fraction. Compounds 4 and 6 had significant effects on SMMC-7721 and Hela cells.

Anti-inflammatory activity of 3-cinnamoyltribuloside and its metabolomic analysis in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation is a response to tissue injuries, which is indispensable and important for human health, but excessive inflammation can potentially cause damage to the host organisms. Camellia nitidissima Chi, one traditional medicinal and edible plant in China, was reported to exhibit anti-inflammation capability. Hence, this study was conducted to isolate the bioactive compounds from the flowers of C. nitidissima Chi and evaluate their anti-inflammatory activity. METHODS: The phytochemicals from the flowers of C. nitidissima Chi were isolated and purified by silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 gel, C18 reversed silica gel, semi-preparative HPLC, and identified by the spectrum technologies. The anti-inflammatory activity of isolated compounds was evaluated using cultured macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. Whereafter the potential metabolic mechanism of the anti-inflammatory activity of the bioactive compound was investigated by a 1H-NMR based metabolomics approach. The metabolites in 1H-NMR spectra were identified by querying the Human Metabolome Database and Madison Metabolomics Consortium Database online. And the multivariate statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the variability of metabolites among samples and between sample classes. RESULTS: The compound isolated from the flowers of C. nitidissima Chi was identified as 3-cinnamoyltribuloside (3-CT). 3-CT could inhibit the NO production and the mRNA expression of iNOS involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, 3-CT could inhibit the expression of a series of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6, both at the mRNA level and protein level. The 1H-NMR based metabolomics approach was applied to investigate the potential metabolic mechanism of the anti-inflammatory activity of 3-CT. Thirty-five metabolites were identified and assigned. Orthogonal signal correction partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OSC-PLS-DA) of the 1H-NMR data showed 3-CT could balance the significant changes in many endogenous metabolites (e.g., choline, glucose, phenylalanine) induced by LPS in RAW 264.7 cells, which related to cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, oxidative stress, energy metabolism, and amino acids metabolism. CONCLUSION: 3-CT, isolated from the flowers of C. nitidissima Chi, had potent anti-inflammatory activity in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, our results indicated that 3-CT had effects on the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, oxidative stress, energy metabolism, and amino acids metabolism in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells.

Quorum sensing inhibition and tobramycin acceleration in Chromobacterium violaceum by two natural cinnamic acid derivatives.

Chromobacterium violaceum, one free-living Gram-negative bacterium, is abundantly presented in tropics and sub-tropics soil and aquatic environment; it is also an opportunistic human pathogen. Here, two cinnamic acid derivatives, i.e., 4-dimethylaminocinnamic acid (DCA) and 4-methoxycinnamic acid (MCA), were identified as potential quorum sensing (QS) and biofilm inhibitors in C. violaceum ATCC12472. Both DCA (100 µg/mL) and MCA (200 µg/mL) inhibited the levels of N-decanoyl-homoserine lactone (C10-HSL) and reduced the production of certain virulence factors in C. violaceum, including violacein, hemolysin, and chitinase. Metabolomics analysis indicated that QS-related metabolites, such as ethanolamine and L-methionine, were down-regulated after treatment with DCA and MCA. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) demonstrated that DCA and MCA markedly suppressed the expression of two QS-related genes (cviI and cviR). In addition, DCA and MCA also inhibited biofilm formation and enhanced the susceptibility of biofilms to tobramycin, which was evidenced by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Our results indicated that DCA and MCA can serve as QS-based agent for controlling pathogens.Key Points • DCA and MCA inhibited QS and biofilm formation in C. violaceum.• The combination of DCA or MCA and tobramycin removed the preformed biofilm of C. violaceum. • DCA or MCA inhibited virulence factors and expressions of cviI and cviR of C. violaceum.• DCA or MCA are potential antibiotic accelerants for treating C. violaceum infection.

Inhibiting the formation of advanced glycation end-products by three stilbenes and the identification of their adducts.

The objective of this work is to investigate the inhibition effects on AGEs formation and the ability of scavenging toxic carbonyls of three stilbenes, resveratrol, oxyresveratrol, and piceatannol. The results showed that the three stilbenes had the activity to inhibit the AGEs formation in BSA-acrolein and BSA-methylglyoxal models, especially piceatannol which showed the strongest inhibition effects on the formation of AGEs with the half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) value of 2.44 mM and 0.19 mM in the BSA-acrolein and BSA-methylglyoxal model, respectively. In addition, the three stilbenes showed the ability to scavenge acrolein and methylglyoxal in pH 7.4 at 37 °C. Eight isolated adducts between three stilbenes and toxic carbonyls further confirmed that these three stilbenes could scavenge acrolein and methylglyoxal by forming adducts successfully. Thus, the present study suggested that the consumption of foods containing stilbenes was beneficial for controlling the amount of reactive carbonyl species and the AGEs formation.

Two new cembrane-type diterpenoids from the xisha soft coral Lemnalia flava.

Further chemical investigation of the South China Sea soft coral Lemnalia flava resulted in the isolation and characterization of two new cembranoids, namely, xishaflavalins G and H (1 and 2), along with three known related compounds (3-5). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic analysis and by the comparison of their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature. The discovery of cembrane-type diterpenes from soft coral of the genus Lemnalia was reported for the first time. In addition, compound 5 exhibited moderate inhibitory effects on the ConA-induced T lymphocytes and/or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced B lymphocytes proliferation.

Smiglaside A ameliorates LPS-induced acute lung injury by modulating macrophage polarization via AMPK-PPARγ pathway.

Macrophages, which have various phenotypes and diverse functions, are becoming the target cells in inflammatory diseases. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the natural product smiglaside A, a phenylpropanoid glycoside isolated from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Smilax riparia, on macrophage polarization and investigated the underlying mechanisms. We found that smiglaside A promoted M2 polarization and reduced M1 polarization in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and primary mouse peritoneal macrophages. Further mechanistic studies showed that the promoting effect of smiglaside A on M2 polarization was attenuated by pharmacological inhibition or gene silencing of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). Moreover, smiglaside A-enhanced PPARγ activity was prevented by the AMPK inhibitor compound C and by an siRNA. These findings indicate that the AMPK-PPARγ pathway is involved in promotion of M2 macrophages by smiglaside A. In a mouse model of LPS-induced acute lung injury, smiglaside A significantly increased the survival rate of LPS-injected mice and ameliorated the LPS-induced inflammatory response and lung damage. In addition, smiglaside A enhanced the protein expression levels of phosphorylated AMPK and PPARγ in the lung and promoted alveolar macrophages to the M2 phenotype in this mouse model. Taken together, our results indicate that smiglaside A can promote macrophage polarization to an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype via stimulating the AMPK-PPARγ signaling pathway. Our study may provide novel approaches and/or targets for drug development to treat inflammatory diseases such as acute lung injury and sepsis.

The antitumor activity screening of chemical constituents from Camellia nitidissima Chi.

Chemotherapy is the preferred and most common treatment for cancer in clinical practice. An increasing number of researchers all over the world are focusing on natural medicines to find new antitumor drugs, and several reports have shown that Camellia nitidissima (C. nitidissima) Chi could reduce blood-lipid, decrease blood pressure, resist oxidation, prevent carcinogenesis and inhibit tumors. Therefore, the pharmacodynamics of the chemical constituents in C. nitidissima need to be investigated further. In the present study, 16 chemical constituents were isolated from the leaves of C. nitidissima, of which 6 compounds are reported to be found in this plant for the first time. Furthermore, all these phytochemicals were screened for antitumor activity on 4 common cancer cell lines, while compound 3, one oleanane-type triterpene, exhibited the most potential antitumor effects. Interestingly, to our knowledge, this was the first report that compound 3 inhibits cancer cells. Compound 3 inhibited EGFR-mutant lung cancer cell line, NCI-H1975 via apoptosis effect, with an IC50 of 13.37±2.05 µM at 48 h. Based on the data, compound 3 showed potential for antitumor drug development, suggesting the scientific basis for the antitumor activity of C. nitidissima.

The inhibition of advanced glycation end-products by five fractions and three main flavonoids from Camellia nitidissima Chi flowers.

Camellia nitidissima Chi (CNC), belonging to Camellia genus (Theaceae family), is a medicinal and edible plant in China. Among the whole plant, the CNC flowers are especially precious, but the biological activities and the compositions of the CNC flowers are unknown. In this study, inhibiting effects on the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) of five CNC flowers fractions and three isolated compounds were investigated, these three compounds are two flavonoid glycosides and one flavanol, namely kaempferol 3-O-[2,3,4-Tri-O-acetyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-2,4-di-O-acetyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)]-ß-D-glucopyranoside, kaempferol 3-O-[2,3,4-Tri-O-acetyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-4-O-acetyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)]-ß-D-glucopyranoside and catechin. Among these five fractions, the ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest total phenolic contents and inhibiting effects on AGE formation. Bovine serum albumin (BSA)-glucose and BSA-methylglyoxal assay showed that the ethyl acetate fraction inhibited AGE formation by 74.49% and 34.3% at 1 mg/mL, respectively. As the main components, these three compounds also showed remarkable inhibiting effects on AGE formation by scavenging methylglyoxal, next two catechin-carbonyl adducts were identified using HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. The results showed that the CNC flowers had remarkable inhibiting effects on the formation of AGEs. The primary structure-activity relationship showed (1) the glycosides could reduce the inhibiting effects compared to kaempferol and (2) the acetyl at position 2‴ in compound 1 had no remarkable influence of the inhibiting effects on AGE formation compared to compound 2.

Hordenine: A Novel Quorum Sensing Inhibitor and Antibiofilm Agent against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The quorum sensing (QS) inhibitory activity of hordenine from sprouting barley against foodborne pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa was evaluated for the first time here. At concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 mg mL-1, hordenine inhibited the levels of acyl-homoserine lactones. The enhanced susceptibility of hordenine with netilmicin on P. aeruginosa PAO1 biofilm formation as well as their efficiency in disrupting preformed biofilms was also evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Hordenine treatment inhibited the production of QS-related extracellular virulence factors of P. aeruginosa PAO1. Additionally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that the expressions of QS-related genes, lasI, lasR, rhlI, and rhlR, were significantly suppressed. Our results indicated that hordenine can serve as a competitive inhibitor for signaling molecules and act as a novel QS-based agent to defend against foodborne pathogens.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-Based Metabolomics Approach to Evaluate the Prevention Effect of Camellia nitidissima Chi on Colitis-Associated Carcinogenesis.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide, occurring in the colon or rectum portion of large intestine. With marked antioxidant, anti-inflammation and anti-tumor activities, Camellia nitidissima Chi has been used as an effective treatment of cancer. The azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate (AOM/DSS) induced CRC mice model was established and the prevention effect of C. nitidissima Chi extracts on the evolving of CRC was evaluated by examination of neoplastic lesions, histopathological inspection, serum biochemistry analysis, combined with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics and correlation network analysis. C. nitidissima Chi extracts could significantly inhibit AOM/DSS induced CRC, relieve the colonic pathology of inflammation and ameliorate the serum biochemistry, and could significantly reverse the disturbed metabolic profiling toward the normal state. Moreover, the butanol fraction showed a better efficacy than the water-soluble fraction of C. nitidissima Chi. Further development of C. nitidissima Chi extracts as a potent CRC inhibitor was warranted.

1H NMR-Based Global Metabolic Studies of Pseudomonas aeruginosa upon Exposure of the Quorum Sensing Inhibitor Resveratrol.

Quorum sensing (QS) is a process of bacterial communication that has been a novel target for drug discovery. Pyocyanin quantification assay confirmed that resveratrol was an effective quorum sensing inhibitor (QSI) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. In this study, the global metabolite changes of P. aeruginosa PAO1 exposed to QSI resveratrol were investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy. A total of 40 metabolites containing amino acids, organic acid, organic amine, and energy storage compounds were identified. The changed metabolic profile indicated that resveratrol influenced pathways including oxidative stress, protein synthesis, and energy metabolism. Oxidative stress could upregulate the expression of genes related to QS in P. aeruginosa. It suggested that resveratrol could inhibit the QS systems in P. aeruginosa PAO1 by relieving oxidative stress due to its antioxidant activity. On the other hand, resveratrol could attenuate the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa PAO1 by disturbing the TCA cycle so that anaerobic respiration could suppress the virulence because anaerobiosis could induce the loss of cytotoxicity regulated by QS in P. aeruginosa. These findings deepened our comprehending of the metabolic responses of P. aeruginosa PAO1 to resveratrol and pinpointed the possible underlying mechanism of resveratrol's inhibition effect on QS in P. aeruginosa PAO1.

Phytochemicals from Camellia nitidissima Chi inhibited the formation of advanced glycation end-products by scavenging methylglyoxal.

The objective of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of Camellia nitidissima Chi (CNC) on the advanced glycation end-product (AGE) formation. CNC was extracted with ethanol and further separated into dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water soluble fractions. Ethyl acetate fraction had the highest total phenolic and quercetin content compared with other fractions. Sixteen phenolic compounds were identified using HPLC Triple TOF MS/MS. Bovine serum albumin (BSA)-glucose assay showed that dichloromethane and ethyl acetate fraction inhibited AGE formation by 88.1% and 87.5% at 2.5mg/mL. BSA-methylglyoxal assay showed that ethyl acetate fraction inhibited 54.1% AGE formation while dichloromethane fraction inhibited 28.1%. Over 96.0% of methylglyoxal was scavenged by different fractions within 12h. Both mono- and di-methylglyoxal quercetin adducts were identified after incubating quercetin with methylglyoxal using HPLC-ESI-MS(n). The results in this study suggest that CNC extracts inhibited AGEs formation in part through scavenging methylglyoxal by phenolic compounds.

The quorum-sensing inhibiting effects of stilbenoids and their potential structure-activity relationship.

Stilbenoids, known an important phytoalexins in plants, were renowned for their beneficial effects on cardiovascular, neurological and hepatic systems. In the present study, quorum sensing inhibition activity of ten stilbenoids were tested using Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 as the bio-indicator strain and the structure-activity relationship was also investigated. Among them, resveratrol (1), piceatannol (2) and oxyresveratrol (3) showed potential anti-QS activities. At the sub-MIC concentrations, 1-3 demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of violacein in C. violaceum CV026 in a concentration dependent manner. Furthermore, the effects of 1-3 on QS regulated virulence factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 were also evaluated. Our results showed that the stilbenoids 1-3 can markedly decreased the production of pyocyanin and swarming motility of P. aeruginosa PAO1. Further transcriptome analyses showed that 1-3 suppressed the expression of QS-induced genes: lasR, lasI, rhlR and rhlI.

Anti-HIV-1 activities of extracts and phenolics from Smilax china L.

Four extracts (EtOH, CHCl3, EtOAc, and BuOH) and five phenolics (dihydrokaempferol (1), resveratrol (2), kaempferol-7-O-ß-D-glucoside (3), dihydrokaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside (4), oxyresveratrol (5)) from Smilax china L. was evaluated for anti-HIV-1 activities and cytotoxicity activities in vitro. All these extracts and phenolics showed lower or no cytotoxicity at a concentration ranged from 0.8 µg/mL to 100 µg/mL, but some showed potential anti-HIV-1 activities, that is, BuOH extract and compound 2 showed higher anti-HIV-1 activities than other extracts and compounds in the tested concentrations. EtOAc extract and compound 1 and 3 showed moderate anti-HIV-1 activities at a concentration higher than 4 µg/mL. In the end, the structure-activity relationship of four extracts and five phenolics was discussed.

Tumoral cytotoxic and antioxidative phenylpropanoid glycosides in Smilax riparia A. DC.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Smilax riparia A. DC., known as "Niu-Wei-Cai" in China, is distributed through the south and middle of China. The roots and rhizomes of Smilax riparia have been used not only as traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) for the treatment of bronchitis, lumbago of renal asthenia, traumatic injury, asthenia edema, and cancer but also as edible wild herbs in some areas of China. AIM OF THE STUDY: To identify the phytochemicals in the roots and rhizomes of Smilax riparia and to investigate their antioxidant activities and cytotoxicities toward several tumor cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four fractions and five phenylpropanoid glycosides were obtained from roots and rhizomes of Smilax riparia under bioassay-guided screenings. The structures of five compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and compared with published data. We evaluated their antioxidant activities and their cytotoxicities on five cancer cell lines: human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60), human hepatocellular carcinoma (SMMC-7721), human lung cancer (A-549), human breast cancer (MCF-7), and human colon cancer (SW480). RESULTS: Of the five glycosides, one new compound (3, smilaside P) was isolated from an EtOAc fraction. Compound 1 was cytotoxic toward HL-60, SMMC-7721, A-549, MCF-7, and SW480 (IC50 2.70, 3.80, 11.91, 3.79, and 3.93 µM, respectively). Moreover, compounds 1-3 showed moderate scavenging activities against the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical (IC50 339.58, 330.66, 314.49 µM, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Five phenylpropanoid glycosides were reported for the first time from this TCM. Each was studied, as observed here for the first time, in the cytotoxic experiments toward HL-60, SMMC-7721, and SW480 cell lines. Compound 1, bearing three feruloyl groups and three acetyl groups, had the greatest cytotoxicity toward the five tumor cell lines. Compounds 1-3 showed moderate antioxidant activities. All results reflect that compounds 1-3 are cytotoxic for a wide variety of cancer cell lines of differing tissue origins and that the cytotoxicities of these compounds may be related to their antioxidant activities.

In vitro tumor cytotoxic activities of extracts from three Liriodendron plants.

The extracts prepared from Liriodendron tulipifera Linn., L. chinense (Hemsl.) Sarg., and their hybrid L. chinense x L. tulipifera, were investigated for their cytotoxic abilities in vitro against five human cancer cell lines: MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells, SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells, HuH-7 hepatocarcinoma cells, and HCT-15 colon carcinoma cells, and then measured their phenols and alkaloids contents. Of these plant extracts, some of them, especially the lower polar extracts from barks, exhibited potent cytotoxic effects on five tested tumor cell lines.

Cytotoxic polyphenols against breast tumor cell in Smilax china L.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Smilax china L., referred to 'Ba Qia' (or 'Jin Gang Teng') in China, is a small vine that grows in the southern parts of China. The roots and tubers of S. china L. have been applied not only as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treatment of diuretic, rheumatic arthritic, detoxication, lumbago, gout, tumor, and inflammatory diseases, but also as food in some area of China. AIM OF STUDY: To investigate the breast tumor cell toxic components in S. china L. continuously and systematically. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three fractions and six polyphenols were isolated from roots and tubers of S. china L. under bioassay-guided screenings. The structures of six compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and comparison with published data. Their breast tumor cytotoxicity and apoptosis of purified components were performed. RESULTS: Six polyphenols were obtained on the basis of a bioassay-guided separation of the ethyl acetate extract, and their breast tumor cytotoxic activities were tested. They showed anti-tumor activities against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 with IC50 value of 2.1-38.9 microg/mL, and can induce apoptosis for MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. CONCLUSIONS: Among these six polyphenols, five (1, 3-6) were reported for the 1st time with in vitro activities on anti-breast tumor cell. It is likely that these polyphenols are the active components of S. china L. responsible for the anti-breast tumor cell activities.

Glycocerebroside bearing a novel long-chain base from Sagina japonica (Caryophyllaceae).

A new glycocerebroside (1), along with one reported one (2), was isolated from the ethanol extract of Sagina japonica (Caryophyllaceae) and was fully characterized. The structures of two compounds were identified as (2S, 3S, 4R, 8E)-1-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl-3, 4-dihydroxy-2-[(R)-2'- hydroxypalmitoyl]amino-8-heptadecaene (1) and (2S, 3R, 8E)-1-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl-3-hydroxy-2-[(R)-2'-hydroxypalmitoyl]amino-8-octadecaene (2) by using spectroscopic methods ((1)H, (13)C, and 2D NMR, MS) and chemical degradation.

Two new minor cyclopeptides from Sagina japonica (Caryophyllaceae).

Two new minor cyclopeptides, named japonicin A (1), japonicin B (2), were isolated from the whole plants of Sagina japonica (Caryophyllaceae). Their structures were determined as cyclo-(Pro(1)-Pro(2)-Leu(2)-Leu(1)-Phe(2)-Pro(3)-Gly-Ser-Phe(1)) (1) and cyclo-(Pro(1)-Ile-Tyr-Asp-Pro(2)-Phe(2)-Pro(3)-Phe(1)) (2) on the basis of spectroscopic data, especially by two-dimension NMR technologies.